


Temptations

by afteriwake



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Banter, Cake, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 12:32:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5869699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anthea knows what Mycroft's weak points are and she knows how to barter for what she wants by hitting those weak points, especially when said weak point involves cake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Temptations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IdrisSmith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdrisSmith/gifts).



> So this was written based on a prompt from **otpprompts** that my friend **IdrisSmith** challenged me to write ages ago (" _Person A is annoyed at Person B for eating left over cake for breakfast instead of something more healthy_ ") that kind of veered away but is still kind of an answer. I've been asked to write Mythea for a little while now by a few people so hopefully they enjoy this.

There were times he greatly envied his PA’s metabolism. It seemed that no matter what she ate, no matter how rich or decadent or fattening it was, she didn’t seem to gain any extra weight. Her exercise routine consisted of jogging around Hyde Park at the crack of dawn, he knew that, but nothing more, as far as he could tell. He envied her greatly for that. He, on the other hand, was usually on the strictest of diets, and even the occasional bit of cheating meant extra time on the treadmill or the elliptical and less food at his next few meals. He would have to do careful planning for some of the state dinners he attended, both before and after the event, just to be able to finish what was on the entire plate.

And yet Anthea could have her entire meal _and_ dessert _and_ wine, and even an after dinner liqueur if she so chose and still wake up the next morning and polish off the slice of cake that had been pressed into her hands as she left by a grateful kitchen staff for her help in the kitchen prior to the meal when they realized they were shorthanded and they found out she had Le Cordon Bleu training.

He glared at her as she put another forkful of the decadent chocolate and hazelnut confection in her mouth. He’d only had a few bites of it the night prior, to be polite. It had, indeed, been quite delectable, but the meal had been enough of a deviance from his carefully planned diet. Anything more than a few bites of the cake would have meant even longer working out, and that was time he could not afford to spend. He looked at the cake, giving it a disdainful look. Oh, why had it had to taste so good? Why had the piece had to sit in his refrigerator and _why_ had she had to bring it out this morning to goad him while he ate his muesli?

“Scowling at me will not keep me from enjoying the cake, Mycroft.”

His eyes snapped up from the cake to his PA. She was looking at him with a smirk on her face. “Perhaps you should take it elsewhere, then,” he grumbled. “ _Some_ of us are eating more appropriate breakfasts and would like to do so without…distraction.”

She chuckled slightly and then got out of her seat and moved to the one next to him. She speared a large forkful of the cake and then offered it to him. “Peace offering?”

He eyed it. “Do you know what that would do to my diet?”

“An extra half hour on the treadmill and another fifteen minutes on the elliptical,” she said with a nod. She moved it closer to him. “Or you could try and work it off in other, more pleasurable ways.”

He raised an eyebrow at that. “We have to be at the office in an hour.”

“I know, Mycroft,” she said. “But that’s what our evening are for. After all, when I’m here I’m not Anthea, your brilliant PA. I’m Andrea, your brilliant lover and better half.”

He considered things. He supposed he could be inventive enough in the boudoir to burn off the extra bite of cake. Or she would; she always did have some rather interesting ideas as to how they could spend their time. “But shouldn’t I exercise straight away?” he said, moving his hand slightly to rest on her thigh.

She grinned at him. “Mycroft Holmes. Are you suggesting we take a sick day?”

“Perhaps if you feed me the cake I’ll answer that question,” he said. She chuckled and then leaned in more, and he opened his mouth so she could feed him the bite of cake. He should be more miffed she was sabotaging his diet, but truthfully, if they did call in for the day, he could keep her very well occupied with much more pleasurable activities. “I think we should devote the bare minimum of time to work from home today.”

“If I give you another bite of cake, do you think you can feign an illness that will be the type that keeps you in bed all day so no work gets done?” she suggested, pulling the fork back and moving it towards the cake.

“I really shouldn’t,” he said. “Just think of the hassles we’ll have to deal with tomorrow.”

“I’d be willing to deal with the hassles for a chance to indulge in a day of pleasure with you,” she said, spearing some more cake on her fork. “And that should be well worth another bite of cake, don’t you think?”

“You’re quite evil, you know that?” he said, shaking his head.

“No, I’m just skilled in the art of negotiating for the best outcome. After all, I learned from the best.” His heart warmed slightly at the compliment as he opened his mouth to accept the second bite of cake. “And I think I know that if I pushed for anything else, I would be rebuffed if I used cake as a bribe, so I’ll have to resort to physical inducements now.”

“Is that so?” he asked, amused. “Because I think I could work up enough of a sweat to burn off another bite of the cake.”

“Oh, but what tastes better, the cake or me?” she asked, grinning at him seductively. She picked up the plate with the cake on it and got out of her seat. “I suppose I may save the rest of this for later bribes if you believe the cake tastes better.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” he said, getting up as well and moving towards her, taking the plate from her hands and putting it back on the table. The cake might not be in any condition to eat by the time they got around to remembering it was on the table, but he didn’t think Andrea would mind all that much as she played with the collar of his dressing gown for a moment before reaching for his hand and leading him back to their bedroom. And, truth be told, maybe it would be best if the cake wasn’t around to tempt him to do anything else out of the ordinary.

After all, Andrea could do that quite well enough on her own.


End file.
